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Top Tips on the Road to Free College Blog 2018

The final post for the year will be a wrap up of the most popular articles from this Road to Free College blog. It’s exciting to see which posts draw the most attention during the year. The most popular post of 2018 was about trading free time at home for free money for college. The most popular titles of the year were about improving the odds of winning scholarships. Since this is the theme of my blog, it’s gratifying to see people are interested.

There have been three changes in this blog during the year. The most exciting by far was the publication of my book, Free College. It shows families how graduates earn the most scholarship money. This book is central to my goal of helping families avoid needing college loans. I find it inequitable that students in my generation were able to pay for a semester of college for the same amount as a week’s worth of groceries, yet today’s student must suffer a lifetime of debt to receive the same education.

The second change to the blog was the addition of a clickable image of my book, Free College, in the upper right hand corner of the landing page. This way, anyone who wants the step-by-step guide in my book doesn’t have to search for a way to buy it. Just click the image, and you’ll be taken directly to my page on Amazon. You can buy the book for your immediate family or for loved ones. It makes a great gift, since it shows how much you care.

The third change was designed to make looking for popular posts easier for the reader. They're now listed on the right hand side of the landing page, under my biography. It’s interesting to see that both the articles and the motivational posters on the site are enjoyed by readers. I found this a bit of a surprise. But good things do often come in small packages.

Most popular posts of 2018:

Trade Free Time for Free Money for College This post suggests parents and students use “found time”, when schools and businesses are closed due to bad weather, to apply for college scholarships. Trading free time for free money for college is a wise use of this gift. Sure, making snowmen and watching movies are fun activities, but their enjoyment is fleeting. Assuring financial freedom after college graduation is priceless. The blog post also explains where to find scholarships.

Thanksgiving Holiday Scholarship Challenge This is the second most popular blog post of the year. It too shows families and students how to leverage time in order to pay for college. All students and many parents are gifted days off from school and work over holidays such as Thanksgiving. I challenge them all to apply for at least one scholarship for each day they have off. The article also gives some tips on how to do this.

How to Become the Ideal Scholarship and/or Grant Applicant is the third most popular post. It gives the reader a brief description of my book, Free College. It explains what’s in it, and where to find it. It’s almost an ad for the book, and yet it has been viewed by thousands of people. This is gratifying, but viewing isn’t buying, and buying isn’t reading. I hope families realize that purchasing Free College and following the steps it contains could save them tens of thousands of dollars in college tuition and fees. It has for the students interviewed while researching the book.

Why Dinnertime Is Important to Student Success The fourth most popular blog post of the year is a motivational poster. The topic is dinnertime, and its importance to student success. During my research, I found students who have dinner with their families at least five times each week do far better in school, life and win more scholarships for college. The photo was taken by me in 2017, while cruising off the coast of Basque Country. The quote is from President Ronald Reagan.

How to Win the College Scholarship Lottery This article compares qualifying for college scholarships to winning the lottery. Both are a game of chance. Both have qualifications in order to win. Everyone knows winning the lottery takes luck. While qualifying for college scholarships seem mysterious to most families, luck has little to do with winning. The article introduces the reader to twenty steps students take who win the most scholarship money.  

If you’re interested in learning more about any of these topics, you can follow me on Twitter, @ElizaWallace27 or click to buy Free College, where you’ll find the step-by-step guide to winning more free money for college, based on numerous students who have done so already.

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